Thursday, June 19, 2014

Flower Boy Next Door Review

Flower Boy Next Door has ended for me. I have to say, I am pretty said to see this drama end. But.... I guess, the old saying is true: All good things must come to an end.

It has been a fun ride. I feel in love with each of the characters. Even the security guard was adorably lovable. This drama is the type of drama that can suck you in. The type of drama that you can tell your friends about and be positive that after this drama, they will be hooked on Kdrama for forever.

That being said, it does stand out from the typical Kdrama-fare. Learn why in my quick video review.

My video review is spoiler-free

From here on... is pretty spoiler-tastic. You've been warned.

This drama was casted really well. Dok Mi could not have been played so wonderfully meek, by anyone else other than Park Shin-hye. I may be bias because she has starred in some of my favorite dramas of all time, regardless, you never question why the guys like her. She hides herself not only inside her apartment, but inside of layers and layers of clothing. But she still comes across as polite, lovable and beautiful. Shin-hye brought this character to life in a way that I think no other actress could have. She is subtle with her approach to playing this character. No movement or spoken word is harsh. Everything about Dok-mi is soft giving the end result of a wonderful woman who is broken and is still trying to piece it all together.

Enrique was a magical creature from another world. He instantly casts a spell on everyone and the viewer. Even after angrily beating on Dok-mi's door and showing his anger, you still see his warm soft side show through. Yoon Shi-yoon is amazing with his performance is this show. I know they call him a magical fiary in the show, but I think his character is more of a unicorn. A magical creature who enters a room and draws you in. You want to be near him, trust him, and give him your heart. Shi-yoon portrayed the inner tormoil of Enrique's conflicting emotions beautifully. He showed the reserve that Enrique has with letting himself get hurt, and his hesistion of hurting another.

I must admit, I did not read the webtoon that this drama is based on. But I have learned that the story does differ quite a bit. First off: there is no Jin Rak. I know! Crazy huh.

Also "Blackie" the dog is a cat.

And you never find out what job Enrique has. He is never known to be this super successful famous personality, as you learn in the show.

After loving the shows anime feel, I will read the webtoon in it's entirety. And you can read it with me.

Back to the show... The storyline drew me in. Why was this girl so confined? Why is Enrique hurting on the inside but not showing it? Why is Jin Rak so secretive and his roomate... Is he really a womanizer? The writing for the show was so deep, with layer apon layer. The end result is very un-kdrama like. Each character is flawed and unique. In a majority of other dramas you never see the characters flaws. In other shows you also have a pretty good guess as to who the lead love interest will end up with. When it came to this show, I had no idea if Dok-Mi would end up with anyone. Which is why I was so hooked to the show!

The writers did a great job of character building, peak of the storyline and follow through. Are you paying attention creators of Big?!

Is this the drama for you?

This show is for you if you love anime, or reality based melodrama/humor. The shows this drama made me think of are:

So I did give FBND another try and I am so glad I did. I am on ep 13 at this moment. This really is an outstanding Kdrama. I don't know how I could have not liked it. It is so light-hearted and fun yet has clearly some great messages. To me Yoon Si Yoon shines in this drama. I have only seen him in one other thing where he played himself, and he seemed like a shy little boy. This drama really allowed him to show talent.

I am so glad you gave it another try! What was the reason you gave up before? It was a bit slow moving at first, but the humor is by far the reason I kept going. And I agree completely about Yoon Si Yoon!

I had DOZENNNNNS of Kdramas to watch in my list and I decided to pare them down, so I gave each drama about 20 minutes to suck me in. If it didn't, I deleted it. That is a great culling technique for Kdramas as I have found that it usually takes about 3 episodes to get me interested in a Kdrama. If it gets to me within 20 minutes, I know it is worth watching. FBND didn't make the cut at that time. This is probably the best acting I have ever seen from Park Shin Hye as well. I am not real fond of her as an actress in other things. I enjoy your posts!

Awe thank you so much! I love hearing from anyone who is as addicted as I am. Keep me up to date on what you are watching and also, if you have any you would like me to review as well! Happy watching Ro!

One drama I recommend is Kimmi Wa Petto - a JDrama. Very well done. The actor and actress in it are so well paired for the characters and the actor who plays Momo plays it so well as a pet. I am currently watching the Kmovie based on the same manga. Sorry to say that it can not compare in depth and breadth with the JDrama, but I have always found Kmovies lacking in depth. Kwriters are much better at serials.